


Caught in the way you got me

by BridgetMcKennitt



Series: Change Your Mind [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Community: fic_promptly, M/M, Oblivious Derek, Post-Season 3A, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 06:50:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1002266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgetMcKennitt/pseuds/BridgetMcKennitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is Derek's soulmate. That's the problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caught in the way you got me

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: rare
> 
> Title is a lyric from the song _Girls/Girls/Boys_ by Panic! At The Disco.

Derek knew his situation was rare. It was so rare that werewolves told stories of other werewolves finding their soulmates as children's stories. It was rarer than a beta becoming a True Alpha. It just wasn't something that happened. And yet Derek couldn't deny that it had happened. He had a soulmate.

It confused him at first because he had known Stiles for years. He hadn't felt that Stiles was his soulmate in any of the moments that he was either alone with Stiles or near him in a crowd. After his previous relationships ended in failure and death, he hadn't wanted to get into another relationship, hadn't wanted to even try. So why would the universe curse him with the burden of a soulmate who didn't want him?

Because he was Derek Hale, of course.

Derek sighed. At least Stiles was a human and not a werewolf. He wouldn't feel the effects of the soulmate bond like Derek would and did. As long as he never told Stiles about the bond, they could continue their non-existent relationship and everything would be fine.

With that settled, Derek called Cora to let her know what was going on with his life. Ever since she decided to remain in New York while he returned to Beacon Hills, she wanted constant updates on his life. He sat back on his couch and dialed Cora's number.

She answered immediately with a curt "Derek."

"I have a soulmate," he said without preamble.

Cora gasped sharply over the line and he waited for her to speak again. "How do you know? Are you sure you're not making a mistake?"

"There's no mistaking it. I can sense the bond between us. He's my soulmate."

"He?"

"Yes. Stiles is my soulmate."

Cora made a surprised noise. "But how? I thought mom used to tell us that soulmates were instantaneous in their connection."

"Maybe that was the story she told us, but soulmates are rare, so how could mom have known the truth? But it's him. It's one hundred percent Stiles." 

"Now that I'm thinking about it, she did say soulmates were for times of peace. You haven't had that since I was a little kid."

He paused, working out how to say the next part. "I'm not going to tell him."

"That's probably a good thing since Stiles hates you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's about what I expected."

"At least Stiles won't try to kill you?" Cora's tone was light, as if she was trying to make him feel better. Oddly enough, it did.

Stiles may hate him and didn't care if he lived or died, but he wasn't going to actively try to kill him. Not now. And with Stiles as his soulmate, Derek would never fall for another trap like what Jennifer did to him a year ago. Stiles, in his own way, was safe. Derek needed safe.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome. Keep me up to date on this, okay? I may not be in Beacon Hills, but I'm still your sister."

"I will, and you don't have to worry. As long as Stiles doesn't know about our bond, everything will be just fine."

Derek changed the subject and asked Cora about her life in New York. Just because the bond gave him a sense of peace he hadn't felt in a long while didn't mean anything at all. He was fine without an active soulmate by his side and Stiles definitely didn't need him.

*

Ever since returning to Beacon Hills, Derek had tried to stay away from Scott and the rest of his pack. They didn't need him and Derek wasn't ready to get mixed up in the chaos that was their lives. Their paths had crossed a few times, because Derek wasn't going to say no to helping Scott when he asked for it, but Derek figured if he stayed away from Stiles, he'd feel less inclined to do something stupid.

As it was, whenever he was around Stiles or in the same room as him, Derek inhaled deeply to take in the scent of Stiles. He felt good being near Stiles, but Derek figured it was like taking a drug. He didn't want to get addicted to his presence. He didn't want to fall further into his addiction and do something extreme just to feel Stiles' presence.

Derek reminded himself of this as he stood against the wall of Scott's living room. He made sure to stay far away from Stiles while taking in his scent and presence. Derek tried to look at him whenever no one noticed him doing so.

Stiles looked good. His confidence had grown and it showed with every moment he made. He was Scott's emissary and a force to be reckoned with on his own. They all were. A year had done them good.

Scott turned to look at Derek. "What do you think?"

There was no reason for Scott to ask the opinion of a non-pack beta like himself. Perhaps that was why he was a True Alpha and Derek was no longer an Alpha.

Derek nodded. "It sounds good." He hadn't been paying attention to their plans, but it had to be good. Stiles knew how to plan and Derek's own always turned into nothing but ashes.

Scott nodded in return, but Stiles just frowned. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed? Sometimes it was hard to get a read on Stiles and what he wanted. Stiles probably didn't want him in the same room as him. Derek being across the room was probably too close for Stiles' comfort. It made sense.

"I need to head out. Call me with more details?" Derek didn't wait for Scott's response as he left through the front door. He got what he came for and he wasn't going to piss off Stiles any further with his own presence.

Derek found out exactly what his role was in Scott's plan. He was the muscle and the bait to catch the incubus. It wasn't anything unusual from what he normally did, so there was no reason for Stiles to frown that time. He was probably frowning for another reason and it had nothing to do with Derek. Because Stiles wanted nothing to do with Derek.

Derek reached deep inside him and touched their bond. A rush of euphoria flooded his body and Derek let himself smile. As long as he could draw comfort from their bond, Stiles could hate him as much as he wanted. Stiles didn't have to do anything more than be alive for Derek.

The incubus was fast and Derek couldn't stop it from clawing his abdomen and sides. It was at that moment that Isaac and Scott jumped out of nowhere to grab the incubus. Derek crawled out of their way as Stiles threw a vial at the incubus. It screamed as its body began to melt from whatever Stiles had thrown at him.

Derek pressed his palm against his abdomen, waiting for his healing factor to kick in. He didn't want his insides spilling out. He waited. And waited.

"Why aren't you on your feet?" Stiles asked as he came closer.

Derek fought the urge to growl. He wasn't healing, but he didn't need Stiles to know that. Derek tried to get to his feet and stumbled back down.

"Derek?"

Derek forced himself to say, "I'm fine. I'm healing."

"You're not fine. Scott, get over here!"

Derek shook his head even as Scott took away his pain. He didn't need their help. He was a werewolf and he would heal. He didn't need to take away more of Stiles' time.

"You're not healing, Derek. Come on. We're taking you to Deaton's office."

Even as Isaac and Scott helped him to his feet, Derek continued to shake his head. He was going to heal. He just needed time.

*

"You're going to be fine," Deaton said as he injected something into Derek's arm. "The incubus' claws are similar to an Alpha's claws, and you're no longer an Alpha with an Alpha's healing. As a beta, you're healing far much slower."

"Can I go now?" Derek could hear Stiles in the lobby with Isaac and wanted to wince. He should have avoided the incubus' claws better than he did so Stiles didn't have to waste his time being here.

Deaton raised his eyebrow at him. "I said you're going to be fine, not that you're fine right now. You need time to heal."

He had been hurt worse and survived. One look at Scott's stubborn expression, however, and Derek decided not to say anything. Arguing with Scott wasn't going to endear him to Stiles. All Derek had to do was wait until Scott wasn't paying attention before escaping.

"Fine. You can send the others home then. They don't have to be here."

Stiles stomped into the examination room with Isaac right behind him. "Are you kidding? You would have been dead if it wasn't for us."

"I'm aware of that, Stiles, and I thank you, but you don't have to stay the night while I heal. You should go home and sleep."

As nice as it was to think that Stiles cared if he lived or died, Derek knew the truth. Stiles just wanted to argue with Derek and prove a point. Derek wondered if Stiles would start arguing that the moon was made of cheese if Derek had said it wasn't. Derek closed his eyes and let their bond comfort him. He was tired.

"Come on, Stiles. It is pretty late and we have school tomorrow. Derek can spend the rest of the night here," Scott said.

With Scott's words, it didn't take long for them to leave. Deaton offered Derek a scratchy blanket and a pillow.

"It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours for you to heal, but if you want to fall asleep, you can do so."

Derek nodded. Once Deaton left, he listened for the sounds of anyone nearby. Except for the animals in their cages, he was the only one for miles. Derek placed the blanket and pillow on the examination table and walked out.

There was some residual pain in his abdomen, and it hurt to walk, but he would be just fine once he got back to the loft. Derek glanced around the parking lot before realizing that no one brought his car with them. That was okay. He could walk and heal on the way home.

*

Making it back to the loft was a lot harder than Derek had first realized. By the time he reached the loft, sweat ran down his forehead and the rest of his body. He also had a pounding headache. Derek slid the door closed and stumbled towards his bed. Rest. That's what Deaton said he needed. Scott wouldn't need him any time soon, so Derek could sleep for as long as he wanted.

Derek woke up to the sounds of Stiles yelling and shaking his shoulders. Derek blinked up at him, confused over why Stiles was in his loft and not at school.

"Stiles?"

"You're an asshole, you know that? Why did you leave Deaton's? We thought something happened to you before I had the idea of checking your loft. Surprise, surprise, here you are."

Derek yawned into his palm. "I couldn't sleep there, so I came here."

"And how did you get here, huh?"

"I walked. No one had brought my car to the vet's office, so I had to walk." Looking up at Stiles' face was both a joy and a pain, the latter because of how angry he looked. "It's fine."

Stiles' upper lip curled as he sneered. "Oh yeah, just fine and dandy. You could have died on the way here and no one would have known."

Derek furrowed his brow as he struggled to sit up. He wasn't as healed as he hoped to be. "I gave Scott Cora's number in case something happened to me and she had to be informed. And I didn't die." Then Derek realized why Stiles was so upset. He nodded. "I'm sorry. It would have been awkward for you to explain why I died on the side of the road. I'll make sure to defend myself better the next time."

Stiles' eyes grew wide before narrowing at him. "You're an idiot," he finally said. Derek thought Stiles would say more, but he just left.

Derek checked the time and saw it was already the afternoon. He could call Cora. She answered on the third ring.

"Hey, Derek. What's the latest?"

Derek told her about the incubus and how odd Stiles reacted to everything. He wanted to get her opinion.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

She was silent for a few minutes. "Your soulmate is weird. I don't know what to say. You're trying really hard to stay out of his way and he's upset about it. Maybe he'd be happier if you left Beacon Hills?"

"Maybe." He didn't want to leave Beacon Hills, though, not even if it was Stiles' wish. No, that wasn't part of his plan. Derek just had to try harder to stay away from Stiles. "I don't understand him."

"You don't have to understand him. You don't have to do anything."

"I want to make him happy as best as I can." Derek tried to clear the lump in his throat. "He's my soulmate. Nothing good ever happens to me."

Cora made an unhappy noise. "I know, Derek. I know. But the way to his happiness is not through you. So try not to beat yourself up, okay?"

"I won't."

"Good."

*

Derek pushed his cart down the canned food aisle, wondering where the canned corn was. It had to be within this aisle. All the other canned things were there.

"Derek."

Derek glanced behind him to see Sheriff Stilinski and Stiles heading his way. He nodded his head. "Hello, Sheriff. Stiles."

Stiles stepped forward to peer into Derek's cart. "You eat terribly."

"I think he can get away with it, considering what he is," the Sheriff said. He offered Derek his hand and Derek shook it. "It's good to see you back in Beacon Hills, Derek."

"Thank you, sir. It's good to be back."

The Sheriff nudged Stiles and Stiles rolled his eyes. "It's good to see you, Derek, even though this isn't the first time I've seen you since you've returned."

"Ignore my son. He's just upset because he's agreed to eating the same healthy food that he's been forcing on me." He chuckled. "He's not allowed to sneak junk food anymore."

"I don't have to worry about my heart."

"And if you eat healthy like you make me, you'll never have to, either. Derek, I was hoping to see you around because I wanted to invite you over for dinner. Say tomorrow night at seven?"

Derek stared at the Sheriff in surprise. Why would he want Derek over for dinner? He asked that question.

The Sheriff laughed. "Because my son won't ask and I'm tired of him moping." Moping? What did the Sheriff mean by that? "You don't have to bring anything but yourself. I'm not going to take no for an answer."

"I'll be there."

The Sheriff clasped Derek's shoulder. "Good man. We'll see you at seven. Come on, Stiles."

Stiles gave one last glance at Derek before following his dad down the aisle. Derek stared at the shelves of canned tomatoes, hoping he could figure out what had just happened. He should have said no to the Sheriff and ran out of the grocery store, groceries be damned. He should have known something like this would have happened, except he couldn't have. Never in a million years would Derek have thought the Sheriff would want to talk to him willingly, let alone invite him to dinner. It wasn't something Derek could have been prepared for.

He took in a deep breath. As long as he stayed silent and didn't annoy Stiles, the dinner would be fine. He could handle it. This didn't require him to bleed or sacrifice his body. He could eat quickly, be polite, and leave as soon as possible. He would do it for Stiles.

*

A few minutes before seven, Derek knocked on the Stilinskis' door. Despite the fact that the Sheriff said not to bring anything, Derek brought something anyway. He had gone to the bakery and bought a cake.

The door opened and the Sheriff let him into the house. While Derek didn't see Stiles, he caught his scent. Stiles was somewhere in the house.

"Thank you for coming, Derek."

"You're welcome, sir. I, uh, I brought dessert." Derek held up the cake box and the Sheriff's eyes lit up.

"I love that bakery. Here, I'll take that." The Sheriff took the box from Derek's hands. "Dinner's ready. Stiles is just finishing setting up the table."

Before the Sheriff could take a step towards the dining room, Derek stopped him. "Sir, why did you invite me to dinner? I know you gave a reason at the grocery store, but I don't understand."

The Sheriff nodded. "Stiles told me about your past and what happened before you left Beacon Hills with your sister, Cora. He was upset when you left without letting him know because he didn't know what happened to you."

"I didn't think anyone would care."

"Well, we did. Both Stiles and I. You've helped my son and Scott survive all this supernatural craziness, and that makes you a good man in my book. Stiles feels the same way though he's terrible at showing it." The Sheriff shook his head as he smiled. "He's a teenager. He can't help it."

"Dad, stop badmouthing me to our guest." Stiles stepped out of the kitchen and glared at his dad. "The table is set. We can go eat now." He raised his eyebrow at the box in his dad's hands and took it from him. "I don't think so."

"It's one dessert for one night, and our guest brought it. Don't be rude, Stiles." The Sheriff took the box back and headed into the dining room.

Derek glanced at Stiles. He didn't look upset to see Derek there. Stiles looked the same way he always looked.

"Come on, Derek. If we don't hurry, he's going to eat your dessert first."

Derek followed Stiles into the dining room and sat down across from him as the Sheriff sat at the head of the table. He took in a breath and the food smelled delicious. He said so.

"Thank you," Stiles said. "I decided to give my dad a break for tonight and looked up recipes that were still healthy, but he'd enjoy."

Stiles had cooked green beans and mashed potatoes as sides with a salmon for the main dish. Once Derek had food on his plate, he took a bite and nearly moaned at how delicious it tasted. "My compliments to the chef."

Stiles smiled and their bond flared bright along with it. This was as good as it was dangerous. Derek was in Stiles' home, eating dinner with Stiles and his father, and enjoying the moment. It was temporary, he knew that, but it didn't feel that way. It felt like something that could build into something more.

"So, Derek, how is your sister?" the Sheriff asked.

Derek swallowed his food. "She's fine. She's currently in New York and enjoying herself."

"She didn't want to return with you?"

"No. Cora only returned the first time because she wanted to confirm a rumor. She never wants to return to Beacon Hills if she can help it."

"Ah. Well, I'm glad you returned. From what Stiles has told me, they're going to need your help and you've kept my son safe before."

Derek nodded. "I would sacrifice my life for Stiles." It wasn't until he reached for his water glass that he realized what he had said. The two Stilinskis stared at him and Derek tried to ignore their heavy gaze.

"Well. That's good to hear, Derek, but I hope it doesn't come to that extreme."

"It hasn't, dad. I promise."

Derek could still feel Stiles' gaze on him, but Derek kept his eyes down on his plate. He wished having werewolf abilities allowed him to read Stiles better. The bond between them only made him feel good. It didn't give him any insights into Stiles' emotions or thoughts. Derek kind of wished it did. He wanted to know what Stiles was thinking.

They finished dinner and Stiles got up to bring the cake box to the table, along with a knife to cut it. He opened the box and began slicing up the cake. It was a blueberry coffee cake made with whole wheat flour. Stiles placed a piece of cake on each of their plates.

The Sheriff picked up his fork and looked to Derek. "Thank you for the cake, Derek." He slid his fork through the cake and brought it to his mouth. 

Stiles made a pleased noise as he chewed. "This is good. Thanks, Derek."

Derek nodded and felt another warm flare of the bond. "You're welcome."

They finished eating most of the cake and Stiles put away the leftovers in the fridge. Derek helped put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher before standing off to the side awkwardly. The Sheriff patted his shoulder.

"Want to stay a little longer? I recorded the Mets baseball game from earlier today."

Derek enjoyed baseball, but one glance at Stiles made him shake his head. He should go before he got on Stiles' nerves.

"I should probably get going. I promised to call Cora."

Stiles narrowed his eyes at him. "It's past midnight in New York."

Derek shrugged. "She sleeps late. I don't question it." Derek didn't know when Cora actually went to bed, but it was a good excuse to leave the Stilinski household.

"Stiles, stop bothering Derek." The Sheriff dismissed him with a gesture. "It was great having you over, Derek. We should do this again sometime."

"Yes, sir."

He shook the Sheriff's hand before leaving the house. He was going to make sure this didn't happen again.

*

Derek meant to avoid both Stilinskis, along with Scott and his pack, but somehow he managed to fail each time he left his loft. Wherever he went, whether it was to the bank or the gas station, he saw one of them. Maybe he was just going crazy. Beacon Hills wasn't that big of a town and it stood to reason that he'd see familiar people from time to time. Maybe he just never really noticed before.

"Stop freaking out, Derek," Cora said over the phone. He had called to tell her his theory. "It's just all in your head."

"Are you sure? Maybe they're stalking me." As soon as Derek said it, he winced and realized how stupid he sounded. Judging by the scoffing Cora made, she thought the same thing.

"Derek. I know you've been through a lot and your bond with Stiles is throwing you for a loop. I get it. But don't lose your head over it. No one is stalking you, especially not Scott's pack or Stiles and his father. That's just simply not true."

Derek rubbed his palm over his face. "You're right. I don't know what I'm thinking."

"You're not." She paused. "Do you need to maybe take a vacation and come visit me in New York?"

"No, I'll be fine. I just need to, I don't know, stay in my loft until I feel better."

"That sounds like a good idea. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will." Derek got into his bed, kicking off his shoes. "Are you doing the same thing?"

"What, am I taking care of myself? Of course I am. I've been doing it for years."

Derek rolled his eyes. Even from miles away, Cora still knew how to annoy him. It was comforting, in a way. Normal. He could see himself getting used to it. Liking it, even.

"I'm going to go now. Try not to cause the world to end."

Cora laughed. "You're talking to the wrong Hale sibling for that."

When they hung up, Derek placed his phone on top of his nightstand and lay back in bed, staring up at his ceiling. He was just being paranoid. It was a time of peace, for the most part, for him. That was why he had a soulmate in the first place. No one, especially those people familiar to him, was stalking him. They had no reason to stalk him.

Still, Derek wasn't going to jinx anything. He'd stay in his loft the next several days and only order food for delivery during that time. It was the only way to make sure.

The first couple of days were fine. Derek exercised in the living room of his loft and ordered food to be delivered to his door. He talked to Cora and watched movies on his laptop. No one called him other than Cora. No one visited the loft except for delivery men.

On the seventh day, there was a knock on the door. Derek looked up from his laptop, confused. He had ordered food only ten minutes ago. It was too soon for anyone to have arrived. He got up on his feet and walked to the door to open it.

Derek wished he hadn't. Stiles was on the other side of the door.

"Stiles-" Derek didn't even finish his sentence when Stiles slipped past him and entered the loft. Derek stared at him before shutting the door.

"Stiles, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help." Stiles dropped his backpack on the floor and knelt down to open it. "I've been talking with Deaton the past few days and we think you've been cursed. It must have happened before you came back to Beacon Hills because of how weird you've been lately."

Derek stared at Stiles with a frown on his face. He wasn't cursed. Even though he had a soulmate who hated him, it wasn't a curse. It was the universe's cruel joke because he was Derek Hale, but it wasn't a curse.

"I'm not cursed."

"Yeah, you are. Don't worry, big guy. I've been practicing for awhile and I think I know how to break it."

"Stiles, you don't even know what it _is_. And I'm not cursed."

Stiles looked up at him and raised his eyebrow. "The evidence begs to differ. Shall I count the ways?" Then Stiles began counting on his fingers as he listed everything he thought was a sign of Derek being cursed.

He wasn't cursed, but Derek realized he wasn't as subtle as he thought he was. Everything Stiles listed was on account of Derek not wanting to piss off a soulmate who hated him. If he had acted normal, Stiles wouldn't have been intrigued by a mystery.

"In conclusion, you're cursed," Stiles said.

Derek sighed and sat back down on his couch. "For the last time, I'm not cursed. There's something new with me, but it's not a curse. It's as far from a curse as possible."

"And this something is…?"

Derek took in a deep breath. "I have a bond connecting me with my soulmate."

This time it was Stiles' turn to stare at Derek. "Soulmates don't exist."

"They do for werewolves. It's extremely rare, but it does happen from time to time. It's rarer than a beta werewolf becoming a True Alpha."

"So extremely rare. Got it." Stiles looked at him with a confused expression on his face. "Okay, so you have a soulmate. Why have you been acting so weird about it?"

Derek shrugged, not wanting to talk about it with Stiles. If Stiles knew he was Derek's soulmate, he'd probably try to break their bond. Derek already had to deal with Stiles hating him. Now that he knew how good it felt having a bond, he didn't want to suddenly not have it anymore.

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "You're hiding something."

"Yes." Derek sighed. "Stiles, there's nothing wrong with me, so you can take your stuff and go."

"Maybe there isn't anything _magically_ wrong with you, but whatever it is you're hiding isn't healthy either." Stiles suddenly was in his face and Derek looked up at him. "Hey, stop zoning out and listen to me."

"I'm listening, Stiles. I don't know what you want me to say."

"Who is your soulmate?" He glanced around. "I don't see anyone else here, so why aren't you with your soulmate?"

When Derek said nothing, Stiles made a disgruntled noise before kicking at Derek's calf. "I thought wolves were social creatures? Go out there and spend time with your soulmate. Stop acting weird."

Derek let out a bitter chuckle. "I would spend time with my soulmate, except you hate me, Stiles. I'm trying to do you a favor."

Stiles jerked back like Derek had punched him. Maybe it was better that Stiles knew. That way both of them could avoid each other on purpose instead of just Derek on his own.

"Me? _I'm_ your soulmate? How?"

Derek shrugged again. "I don't know exactly how it works, but you are. The bond between us flares bright and it's comforting to me to feel your presence." Stiles' eyes widened and Derek explained, not wanting to freak Stiles out any further. "I can't read your thoughts or emotions through the bond. That's not how it works."

"And I'm supposed to take the word of a guy who hasn't had anything in his life go right for him?"

Derek tried not to flinch. "My younger sister is alive and I have a soulmate, despite how you feel about me. That's not nothing."

"No, you're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Stiles sat down next to Derek. "So we're soulmates, huh?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean?" Stiles sounded curious and Derek wondered what he was thinking.

"Nothing for you. Only a werewolf feels the bond before it's accepted by the mates. If the other half of the pair is human, like you are, you won't feel anything. It's like a warm tonic for both of the mates instead of just the werewolf or werewolves. Like I said, I can't read your thoughts or emotions anymore than I can do so as a werewolf. So you don't have to worry about any of this."

Stiles made a noise. "That's my decision, not yours. What if I want a warm tonic that makes me feel better about my life and everything around me?"

Derek turned his head to look at Stiles. "Except you'd have to be bonded to me. You hate me."

"Hate is such a strong word. More like frustrated whenever you do stupid things that make no logical sense. Like when you walked home after getting severely injured instead of healing up at Deaton's. I like you just fine when you're not doing things like that." Stiles shrugged. "You've even featured in my dreams from time to time. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What do you think of me? I've told you what I thought of you."

Derek rolled his shoulders, unsure of what to say. He didn't even talk to Cora about how he truly felt about Stiles. He cleared his throat. "I like you."

"Pre or post-bond? Don't give me that look. There's a difference. I don't want you liking me because the bond's making you."

"The bond's not making me do anything. It's not like that. It's just there, comforting me, because of you. I thought the bond was all I'd have of you because I thought you hated me."

"Still don't hate you. And it's good to know the bond's not making you like me. So if I did this," Stiles swung his legs until he was facing Derek and straddling his thighs. "Would this be okay?"

Derek rested his palms on Stiles' waist. He met Stiles' gaze. "It's fine. What are you doing?"

"Experimenting. Did Scott ever tell you what happened to us during the year you were been gone? No? Well, because of what we did to find our parents, we activated the Nemeton and darkened our hearts. I've had trouble sleeping and I've had to fight against insomnia and anger because of it. Why wouldn't I want to feel better because you're my soulmate? Why wouldn't I like that you're my soulmate? If anything, I can stop you from doing the stupid things that frustrate me."

Derek chuckled as he shook his head. "This is for life, Stiles. If you said yes to our bond, we might as well be married for how permanent it is."

"So I won't say yes right away. We'll date first and I'll see if I want to soulbond marry you."

Derek wanted to say yes, wanted to have Stiles fully, but he needed to reason with Stiles. "If we're dating, you won't be able to feel anything from the bond because you're not a werewolf."

" _True_ , but I'll have someone I can hug, kiss, and talk to. That may not be the same as the bond, but I'm not going to say no to it." Stiles wiggled on his lap. "Come on, what do you have to lose? You were already resigned to me hating you. Can't get worse than that."

He should say no. There were so many things that could go wrong. Considering he was who he was, there was a high probability that things _would_ go wrong for Derek. But having Stiles on his lap with his willingness in wanting to date him, potentially wanting to be his soulmate, made Derek yearn for something special. Something just for him.

"We can try," Derek finally said. "If you want. It might not end well."

"Eh, like I said, it's not like our relationship would get any worse than what we've already gone through. This is beneficial to both of us."

Derek thought Stiles was probably right, as long as nothing went wrong. He gulped and nodded. "Okay. Okay."

"Awesome. I'm going to kiss you now. Again, with that look. It's a two-fer. If we're going to date to see if I want to bond myself to you as your soulmate, good kissing should be part of that deal. Also, what better way to seal the deal than with a kiss?"

Derek rubbed his hands up and down Stiles' sides before nodding. Stiles grinned and leaned in to kiss him. It was okay. Stiles' lips were slightly wet because he ran his tongue across it before kissing him, and they had to adjust before they got it right, but it wasn't too bad. Their kissing would only get better with time and practice. It was a nice kiss. It was safe and normal. It was exactly what Derek needed.

Stiles drew back before letting out a chuckle. "Wow. Okay, we are good in the kissing department. Let's keep doing that."

Derek nodded before pulling Stiles into another kiss. They could practice now.

*

Stiles wanted the two of them to go out on a date. Derek had never really been on dates before. Not with Jennifer or Kate, or even with Paige. He had told Stiles this and Stiles didn't care. They were going on a date. Derek stopped his car in front of Stiles' house and got out. Stiles had suggested they do dinner and a movie because it was a common date idea.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, it opened to reveal the Sheriff.

"Evening, sir."

"So my son told me that he's your soulmate and the two of you are dating to see if Stiles wants to go the whole nine yards. Did I get that right?"

Derek's eyes widened. He hadn't thought that Stiles would tell his dad the truth about their situation. "Yes, sir."

The Sheriff nodded. "Fine. I trust you to take care of him and keep him safe. If he ends up soul married to you or whatever it's called, at least it's to someone I don't dislike."

"Uh, thank you, sir?"

Stiles appeared at that moment, stepping around his dad. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, dad, but this is just our first date. Let's not get me married anytime soon."

He walked towards Derek and took his hand, squeezing it. "Shall we?"

Derek nodded before saying goodbye to the Sheriff. Stiles waved to his dad as they made their way to Derek's car.

As Derek drove down the street, he glanced at Stiles. "You told your dad?"

"Yup. I've decided to go the honest route with him and this is just as big as werewolves. Don't sweat it though. He likes you for always protecting me. It's why he wanted to invite you for dinner that one time."

"Right." Derek took one hand off the steering wheel and laid it gently on Stiles' thigh. He didn't say anything about it, but judging by Stiles' chuckle and the placement of his own hand on top of Derek's hand, it was okay.

Derek drove them to the restaurant. It was a new one that had just opened in Beacon Valley and Stiles wanted to go. Derek had no opinion either way, so he agreed to take him there.

When they reached the parking lot of the restaurant, Derek turned off the ignition and turned towards Stiles. "I just wanted to reiterate that this is the first date I've been on. So if I do something wrong, or mess something up, I wanted to apologize in advance."

"Derek, of course you're going to mess up. There's not even a question about this. But you forget I'm here to watch your back. We'll have a bat signal in case things go wrong."

Derek raised his eyebrow. "Bat signal?"

"Okay, that settles it. You and I are going to watch a bunch of Batman movies after dinner at your place. I mean some kind of codeword I can say so you know you're venturing into badlands and should turn back around. We can use something werewolf related. Wolfsbane, maybe? Full moon?"

Derek shook his head. "I'd prefer if we used something else instead."

"I get it. You want something more subtle. What do you think about using rutabaga? There's no real chance of us accidentally bringing that up in a conversation."

He thought about it for a moment before nodding his head. "That works."

Stiles leaned across the car to kiss Derek's stubbled cheek. "I doubt I'll have to use the codeword tonight. You want to try hard and I have no problems being wooed."

"Just for that, I'm spilling my drink in your lap." The words held no heat though and Stiles laughed.

They went to dinner and after a quick stop at Stiles' house so he could grab his dvds, they returned to Derek's loft. Derek went into the kitchen to make some popcorn while Stiles set up his laptop in the living room.

"I told my dad I'm staying here for the night."

"He didn't say anything about that?" Derek raised his eyebrow.

"Well, he might have tried to, but it's not like you're going to do anything to me, and he knows that." Stiles flashed a smile at him. "I don't put out on the first date, Derek."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking you to, Stiles." The microwave dinged and Derek took the popcorn bag out of the microwave. "As long as your dad doesn't storm into the loft in the middle of the night to shoot me, it's fine."

"Nah. That'll only happen if you get me pregnant and didn't want to marry me." Stiles laughed. "Now get over here so I can properly teach you about Batman."

Derek poured the popcorn into a large bowl and walked over to sit next to Stiles on the couch. "You have a large stack of movies there."

"The Batman movies were rebooted a few times. I think we're going to start with the latest set and work backwards. That would be the Nolan movies." Stiles stopped talking and shifted around so Derek's arm was draped around his shoulders. "That's better. If you want to kiss me during the movie, you go right ahead."

Derek kissed Stiles. Their bond flared bright and Derek was filled with peaceful euphoria from both it and Stiles' grin. Maybe if he didn't fuck this up, he could have this feeling for the rest of his life. He kissed Stiles again. "Show me the magic of Batman."

*

Derek woke up in the middle of the night before calming down at the feel of Stiles in his arms. They had spent several hours watching movies before going to bed. Stiles had borrowed his sweats for the night and climbed into Derek's bed. Derek hadn't expected Stiles to want to share a bed with him, but Stiles did whatever he wanted. It was just easier to follow his lead, especially when it was something he wanted as well.

Derek sniffed Stiles' scent and let out a content noise. Stiles smelled good wrapped up against him. He could already tell Stiles' scent was starting to mingle with his own in his bed. While Stiles hadn't consented to their soulmate bond yet, Derek felt their bond growing. He suspected the longer they dated, the stronger the bond would become.

He would have never suspected that this was his life. Soulmates had been meant for deserving people and, after Paige died, Derek never felt like he deserved anything good. Yet here was Stiles, sleeping in his arms, and who wanted to be with him. Stiles was his soulmate and he had never hated Derek. It simply blew his mind.

"I can literally hear you thinking. It's loud. Stop," Stiles said, half muffled into the pillow. "This is the first night in months I've been able to sleep through the night. Stop ruining this for me."

Derek kissed the back of Stiles' head in apology before holding Stiles closer against him. "I'm sorry."

"Less sorry, more sleeping." Stiles took in a breath, then another, and he was asleep once more.

Right, Stiles suffered from insomnia because of the sacrifice he made to the Nemeton. If Derek's presence was able to help him sleep, then Derek would curl up against him every night. It was nice knowing that he wasn't the only one benefiting from their relationship.

Derek closed his eyes and let Stiles' soothing presence lull him to sleep.


End file.
